Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to a system and method for using a controller user interface to guide a presentation of sales material. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a system and method for using a controller user interface to control a media presentation on a display device for demonstrating the controller as well as the systems which it can control.
Related Art
Automated systems (home automation systems, swimming pool and/or spa control systems, etc.) continue to become increasingly technologically advanced, as do their controllers.
A system's adaptive and user-friendly controller can now serve as a material factor for many customers while purchasing the system. Thus, when selling an automated system, it is beneficial to highlight the functionality of its related controller. For example, a potential customer may be attracted to a swimming pool heating system because the system's controller enables scheduling so as to set specific water temperatures throughout the course of a week. Another potential customer may be attracted to a swimming pool's underwater lighting system because the system's controller enables a user to choreograph a light show. Also, a potential customer may chose to install an entire pool infrastructure because the systems support an adaptive and user-friendly controller. For example, pool/spa controllers such as the Aqua-Logic controller provide a “plug-and-play” feature, such that when a user adds a feature to an existing pool/spa system, the user can also add to the existing controller additional functionality so to operate the feature.
However, while the controllability of automated systems has recently experienced vast improvements, and while it has become an increasingly more influential factor in customers' purchasing decisions, challenges exist in conveying these improvements during sales demonstrations. For example, swimming pools are still conventionally sold by a salesperson presenting photographs of four-color sell-sheets of pools and their many features. Also, most pool/spa controllers are conventionally sold in a similar way with four-color literature showing photographs of control features. While more progressive sales techniques include videos that run through features of a pool, these videos are not guided and thus present a large amount of footage irrelevant to a particular customer. Moreover, not only do these sales tactics fail to adequately display the capabilities of pool/spa features and their controllers, they do not take advantage of benefits that can be gained from in-person interaction between a salesperson and a prospective customer. Therefore, needed is a sales tool that can demonstrate innovative automated systems and their controllers available for purchase, and which leverages from interaction between a salesperson and a prospective customer.